Pizza Toast

I have often felt that my kids have somehow been missing out on a part of life because they have never eaten pizza. Growing up, my parents would get pizza for lunch almost every Sunday, so pizza and childhood seem to some degree intertwined for me. (Not to mention the fact that, as a teenager, I would eat frozen pizza several times a week for lunch as well. *cringe* I seriously can't believe how bad my diet was back then...)

Anyway, I was pushing my 2-year-old on the swing today and asking her what she would like for lunch. Jelly sandwich (on gluten-free bread)? No. Lunch meat snack plate? No. (Those were the only two readily available choices, so I started getting silly.) Pickles? No. Salami? No. Pizza? Yes! Hmm... well... ???

The real problem with giving my girls pizza, however, is not the dough -- I can make a gluten-free crust if I need to. The real problem is the cheese. Everyone in our family except for me has issues with dairy, and since I am still nursing my youngest, I stay mostly away from it for her sake. Fortunately, though, none of us are extremely allergic or sensitive, so I do occasionally let my girls have a little bit of something with diary -- like a handful of normal chocolate chips or M&M's. I think perhaps theirs is more of a lactose intolerance.

With this in mind, I remembered that I had some Kashkaval sheep cheese in the freezer. I don't know much about it, but it is semi-hard and tastes tangy and somewhat sweet, similar to cheddar. And -- who am I kidding? -- the only reason I bought it was because it was made from sheep instead of cows, so it has less lactose. So I figured I'd try some on a little "pizza." And remarkably, it worked even better than I'd hoped. It had seemed a little strong when I'd tried it on other things before, but against the tomatoey sauce, it balanced quite nicely. Mmm... I want more...

So anyway, if you can have dairy, you are one of the lucky ones. If you can have just a little dairy, or some form of non-cow dairy, you are in luck with this recipe. If you can't have dairy at all, I am so sorry... you'll have to have yours without cheese. (Unless you can stand soy "cheese"... ick.)

PIZZA TOAST

Ingredients:

4 thin slices gluten-free bread (I used fresh-baked Pamela's)

1/4 c. tomato paste

1/4 c. ketchup

1 c. Kashkaval sheep cheese (approx.)

garlic powder

Italian seasoning

ham, fresh veggies, or other toppings (optional)

Directions:

Lay bread on a cookie sheet. (I may toast it first next time.) Mix ketchup and tomato paste; distribute between the pieces of bread and coat evenly. Sprinkle each piece of bread with a light dusting of garlic powder; repeat with Italian seasoning. Add cheese and toppings. Set on middle-to-low rack of over and broil on high (500º) for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings begin to look toasted.

Note: I only used ham for topping this time, but if I use fresh veggies next time, I will likely sautee them for a couple minutes so as not to let them stay too raw for my taste.

So to conclude my story, my girls tasted "pizza" for the first time today. My 2-year-old liked it pretty well, and my almost-4-year-old claimed she liked it, but only picked the topping off a few pieces. Sad to say, even in the case of one of my favorite childhood dishes, their will is usually fixed against liking (or sometimes even trying) anything new. :-p

Lentil Soup

I tend to make a lot of meals based around meat. Since my husband is trying to reduce his meat consumption, however, I have started to try to make more meatless meals. Fortunately, I already had this recipe in my back pocket. It is a snap to put together, and I always forget how delicious it is until I taste it again. Simple, but satisfying. It also makes a great freezer meal.

And just FYI, the portion in the bowl below may look a little small (at least compared to some of the other portions I've pictured), this was actually my second bowl of it last night... I forgot to take a picture of the first.

LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils

6 cups water or broth*

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery (I often use a little extra)

1/2 c. chopped carrots (ditto)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 diced tomatoes or one (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

salt & pepper to taste*

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let simmer, covered, for one hour or until lentils are soft.

*I normally use half water, half broth, and add 1 tsp. salt. Pepper is easier to do "to taste," I think, and less of a problem if you guess wrong. :-)

Tofu Stir Fry

I have don't know that I'd ever even tasted tofu before I was married. My family's main courses, and my own thereafter, usually included a healthy portion of meat (usually beef or chicken). I have recently been exploring the idea of eating for your blood type, and I thought we were doing pretty good, since I knew I and at least 2 of the girls were Type O, which are good with eating a lot of meat. A few months ago, however, we discovered that my husband is Type A. And (of course!) Type A's don't digest meat very well, and do well with a low meat or even vegetarian diet. Lovely.

So, I have been endeavoring to expand my horizons and create a few meatless dishes, and as a result, I have been exploring the world of tofu. To my surprise, it is actually not that bad. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a satisfactory recipe that is both gluten-free and dairy-free but is NOT a stir-fry. So... I've been doing a lot of stir-fry.

I have tried a few stir-fry recipes, but I usually have to modify them to some degree to suit my tastes (usually by adding more veggies and often more sauce). Stir-fry is kind of free-form by nature, but I like to have an actual recipe on hand to help me plan and keep me from getting too confused... and that doesn't work so well when you're modifying everything. So since I seem to be so picky, I decided to try my hand at making up my own recipe last night. And I have to say, I liked it better than any of the other recipes I've tried so far. So here you are...

JESSICA'S TOFU STIR FRY

Ingredients:
1 lb. pack firm or extra-firm tofu, chopped into bite-size pieces*
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 head fresh broccoli (about 1.5 c.), chopped into bite-size pieces
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/4 c. wine (red gives more flavor, but white works fine)
3 tbs. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger
3 tbs. olive and/or sesame oil (I used about half and half)
1/2 c. water
1 cube chicken bouillon or 1 tsp. granules
2 tbs. cornstarch
2 tbs. water

*Tofu works better if it is set out to dry on a stack of paper towels for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Directions:
1. Heat 2 tbs. oil in a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes, till tender. Add broccoli and carrots. Fry for about 4-5 minutes, until beginning to get slightly tender. (Reduce heat slightly if veggies are crisping too quickly.) Add onions and fry for about 2-3 more minutes. Add mushrooms and zucchini and fry 2-3 more minutes.

2. Mix together wine, soy sauce, and ginger. Add to veggies and simmer until veggies are all fairly tender (a few more minutes).

3. While veggies are frying, heat another 1/2 to 1 tbs. oil in a medium saucepan. Fry tofu for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Dissolve chicken bouillon or granules in 1/2 c. water. (Or use 1/2 c. chicken broth if you prefer, though you may need to add a bit more salt.) Add to tofu and simmer for about 3 minutes.

4. Add tofu mixture to veggie mixture. Combine 2 tsp. cornstarch with equal part water, and whisk with a fork till smooth. Add to tofu and veggies, stir well. Cook for 1-2 more minutes until sauce begins to thicken slightly. (Add more cornstarch and water mixture if necessary to achieve desired sauce consistency.) Serve over brown rice.

Makes about 6 servings.

If any of you try this, let me know how you liked it and if you come up with any improvements!